Sevilla must feel particularly hard done by those new TV deals, they were competing for the league and actually came close to winning it in 2006 or 2007 I think. Same goes for Valencia really. I don't think a team different than Real Madrid or Barcelona will win the league again.

That's fecking brilliant. Couldn't agree more too, while the standard of play of the top sides in the PL might not match La Liga's top 2/4, the competitiveness and the ability for anyone to beat anyone, gives the PL the edge for me when you look at the complete picture.

Just makes you glad Liverpool's attempts to change the distribution of TV incomke at the start of this season left them almost as isolated as their archaic approach to racism.

That's fecking brilliant. Couldn't agree more too, while the standard of play of the top sides in the PL might not match La Liga's top 2/4, the competitiveness and the ability for anyone to beat anyone, gives the PL the edge for me when you look at the complete picture.

Just makes you glad Liverpool's attempts to change the distribution of TV incomke at the start of this season left them almost as isolated as their archaic approach to racism.

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Just about as possible for teams in La Liga to beat anyone as it is in England, but that's for another debate.

Just about as possible for teams in La Liga to beat anyone as it is in England, but that's for another debate.

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I'm not so sure about that, a 26 point gap (29 last week) between 2nd and 3rd is something extreme, I don't know if you can find that kind of difference between two consecutive teams in a table anywhere else in the world (or even in La Liga in past seasons).

I'm not so sure about that, a 26 point gap (29 last week) between 2nd and 3rd is something extreme, I don't know if you can find that kind of difference between two consecutive teams in a table anywhere else in the world (or even in La Liga in past seasons).

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Yeah, that's a fact but Barcelona and Real are still beaten in an odd game occasionally. It's a two-horse race in England too but Arsenal or Chelsea could catch up one day, the rest of the league not so much. In La Liga there aren't even two clubs like that who could someday join.

But when you look at the amount of points between the two teams at the top it's very similar in both leagues, meaning they drop a similar number of points. The rest of the league is more level in Spain as there are six or seven teams around the same level - Athletic, Atletico, Sevilla, Malaga and probably someone else. If anything in Spain you can go from being 15th and barely staying up one season to challenging for top 4 the next - in England you obviously cannot.

The funny thing is in the long run it'll only hamper Barce and Real as well. There players aren't tested week in week out, with some clubs playing reserve sides against them. The players only play against much weaker players, and while at the start it'll mean they're fresher in Europe, over a time period I think it'll weaken the La Liga sides.

That leagues a ticking time bomb. Well done to other clubs for standing up to the bullies.

Yeah, that's a fact but Barcelona and Real are still beaten in an odd game occasionally. It's a two-horse race in England too but Arsenal or Chelsea could catch up one day, the rest of the league not so much. In La Liga there aren't even two clubs like that who could someday join.

But when you look at the amount of points between the two teams at the top it's very similar in both leagues, meaning they drop a similar number of points. The rest of the league is more level in Spain as there are six or seven teams around the same level - Athletic, Atletico, Sevilla, Malaga and probably someone else. If anything in Spain you can go from being 15th and barely staying up one season to challenging for top 4 the next - in England you obviously cannot.

Yeah, that's a fact but Barcelona and Real are still beaten in an odd game occasionally. It's a two-horse race in England too but Arsenal or Chelsea could catch up one day, the rest of the league not so much. In La Liga there aren't even two clubs like that who could someday join.

But when you look at the amount of points between the two teams at the top it's very similar in both leagues.

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So it's not a big deal because United-City are similar to Barcelona-Madrid this season? We had a different top two last season and for most of the season it looked like it would be a different top two again. Just over the last 2 years its looked like 4 different teams will win the league in England.

The funny thing is in the long run it'll only hamper Barce and Real as well. There players aren't tested week in week out, with some clubs playing reserve sides against them. The players only play against much weaker players, and while at the start it'll mean they're fresher in Europe, over a time period I think it'll weaken the La Liga sides.

That leagues a ticking time bomb. Well done to other clubs for standing up to the bullies.

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Yeah but I think they'll still both attract quality players providing they have a decent coach

Yeah, that's a fact but Barcelona and Real are still beaten in an odd game occasionally. It's a two-horse race in England too but Arsenal or Chelsea could catch up one day, the rest of the league not so much. In La Liga there aren't even two clubs like that who could someday join.

But when you look at the amount of points between the two teams at the top it's very similar in both leagues, meaning they drop a similar number of points. The rest of the league is more level in Spain as there are six or seven teams around the same level - Athletic, Atletico, Sevilla, Malaga and probably someone else. If anything in Spain you can go from being 15th and barely staying up one season to challenging for top 4 the next - in England you obviously cannot.

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Newcastle were 12th last season, having been promoted.

Are they not challenging for the Top 4 this year?

So yeah, seems like you can go from being relatively average to challenging for the top 4 in England too. Two seasons ago Newcastle were in the Championship, next season they could well be in the Champions League.

The Spanish Tv Channel "La Sexta" decided to delay the match Sevilla FC vs. Levante UD in order to brodcast the press conferences of Mourinho and Guardiola and Biris Norte protested throwing into the field thousands of tennis balls.

The Spanish Tv Channel "La Sexta" decided to delay the match Sevilla FC vs. Levante UD in order to brodcast the press conferences of Mourinho and Guardiola and Biris Norte protested throwing into the field thousands of tennis balls.

How many times has it happened in Spain to show that it is possible there but not in England?

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I can't be arsed to look it up but it always seems more open to me. England was closed shop pretty much from the moment we dropped out in 2003 up until Spurs getting in 2010 with Everton sort of breaking the stranglehold at one point - but being handed a rancid draw in the qualifier. There always seemed to be a significant gap/glass ceiling though.

I can remember the likes of Osasuna, Betis, Mallorca, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Athletic, Getafe, Zaragoza and now Levante/Malaga all either qualifying or going very close - plus Sevilla, Valencia, Villarreal, Atletico dropping in and out intermittently.

Hopefully ourselves or Spurs get in this year and don't get screwed by Chelsea. A bit of change will do the league good.

This has all been covered over and over again, showing that the Premier League and La Liga are largely very similar in terms of top 4 finishes and league title wins for all the different clubs.

However:

Games don't need to be moved on the whims of tv broadcasters in the Premier League, with as little as 48 hours notice. Games don't finish past 12pm because of this. There is a structured deal so that sometimes Manchester United will play at 3:00 on a Saturday, sometimes they will play on Monday night, sometimes they will play on Sunday. Just like everyone else.

The Domestic TV Money is distributed thus: 50% evenly to all 20 teams, 25% based on final position in the table, and 25% based on how popular they are on TV.

The Foreign TV Money is distributed evenly.

There is even parachute payments for teams that are relegated.

None of this is the case in Spain. The whole reason teams have found it difficult to compete in England is because there have been 4 clubs that were regularly Champions League contenders. As soon as this changed slightly you have another load of clubs that are ready to take advantage.

So yeah, seems like you can go from being relatively average to challenging for the top 4 in England too. Two seasons ago Newcastle were in the Championship, next season they could well be in the Champions League.

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03/04 we were 17th, the year after that 4th, then the year after that 11th and since then our worst position has been 8th and our best has been 5th. I'd say England can be like that but for a different reason to why the Spanish league is so topsy turvy. We have been well managed and our chairmen has kept Moyes allowing us to build a consistency and now Newcastle have been very well run in the transfer market allowing for their rise.